Dr. John Aaron Cicero Lattimore (1874-1959) was born to John Lattimore and Marcilla Hambrick Lattimore on June 23, 1874 in Cleveland County, NC. He had a brother and seven sisters. His father was a former slave. Clement Richardson published an article in 1919 in the “National Cyclopedia of the Colored Race,” Volume 1 in which he noted Dr. Bullock of Greensboro, NC was a tremendous influence on Lattimore’s decision to become a doctor. Lattimore was a “buggy boy” for Dr. Bullock and accompanied him on daily house calls.
Lattimore attended public schools in North Carolina. In 1897, he graduated from Bennett College in Greensboro, NC and went on to Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN where he received his doctor’s degree in 1901. He was twenty-seven. He began practicing medicine in Louisville where he practiced for over fifty years. In the early days of his career, he charged 50 cents for an office visit, $1.00 for a house call, and $10.00 to deliver a baby. During this time, Lattimore enjoyed spending his free time coaching football for Simmons University, and he was the team physician for the Central High School football team.
Dr. Lattimore married Naomi Agness Melissa Anthony of Illinois sometime between 1920 and 1930. We have not been able to find a marriage license yet to determine when. They had no children. Lattimore served as president of the National Medical Association and was on the board of trustees for the Broadway Temple AME Zion Church for 58 years. Lattimore was a true civic leader and helped to organize numerous medical associations and African American advocacy groups including a chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Louisville Urban League. He was also a Mason, an Elk, and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha and Sigma Pi Phi fraternities. When Dr. Lattimore retired, he was running the twelve room Lattimore Clinic at 1432 W. Walnut Street. He died at the age of 85 of chronic kidney disease. Photos from Ancestry user leelandj.
